Etymology

The name of Qotsia is from Greater Osveraali word for "eight", as it was initially formed by as the federation of eight states,

History

Modern Qotsia as it exists now has only been around for about 55 years. Previously, Qotsia was ruled by the Dachashk empire for centuries, before breaking away with Thargun in 1834. After they won their war of independence, they united into a single country similar to that of Czechoslovakia on Earth. Thargo-Qotsia prospered for roughly 130 years before they split because of some differences in desired laws. Qotsia and Thargun have a long shared history, even before Dachashki rule, and are allies today despite having separated.

Geography

Geology

Climate

Biodiversity

Politics

Government

There are three main governing bodies on the federal level: the parliament (legislative), the Federal Council (executive) and the Federal Court (judicial).

The Federal Council constitutes the federal government, directs the federal administration and serves as collective Head of State. It is a collegial body of eight members, elected for a five-year mandate by the Federal Assembly which also exercises oversight over the Council. The President of the Confederation is elected by the Assembly from among the eight members, traditionally in rotation and for a one-year term; the President chairs the government and assumes representative functions. However, the president is a primus inter pares with no additional powers, and remains the head of a department within the administration.

Qotsia has two capitals, both of them are de jure capitals. One is the executive capital, which is the seat of the Council; the other is the legislative capital, which is the seat of the parliament and is also the largest city of Qotsia.

Law

Qotsian law is pretty harsh on criminal offenses, the death penalty is applicable on murder and several other criminal offenses; besides, for other criminal offenses, corporal punishment is used, as Qotsian lawmakers believe that corporal punishment is more effective than imprisonment in deterring crimes. Generally, it is thought that the harsh punishment on criminals is a result of public pressures.

Imprisonment terms are relatively short, life imprisonment is not used in Qotsia(they think it is a waste to keep someone alive in prisonment, even research has shown that it can be more expensive to sentence someone to death than to sentence someone to life imprisonment without parole), the maximum term for prison is usually 10-15 years, and compulsory prison labour is required for all prisoners sentenced to imprisonment. Requirements for parole is very strict, the minimum non-parole period is usually two-thirds of the sentence, the prisoner applying for parole must have no record of violent crimes, all infectious diseases must be cured before applying for parole, and only less than 1/10 of all prisoners who are eligible for parole are granted for parole each year.

Qotsia has a strong culture against "laziness", that is, having no job as an able-bodied adult, except for "homekeepers"(in Qotsia, most married adults, males and females alike, have full-time jobs, full-time homekeepers are uncommon in Qotsia.), is strongly downlooked, and as a result of public pressures, the government often makes laws against "laziness", and in some cities, it is a criminal offense to be a beggar, as begging can be seen as a sign of being "lazy".

Administrative divisions

Foreign relations

Military

There is no compulsory military service or training, even in wartimes.

In Qotsia, the vast majority of military personnels, and almost all military officers, are female.

Economy

Transport

Roads and railways are the main type of transport in Qotsia. Trains, cars and animal-powered transports are the most common means of transport. Animal-powered transports are restricted or banned in most urban areas, but it is still common in some remote rural areas.

Roads, including most highways, in rural areas are usually unpaved dirt roads.

Energy

Qotsia bans the use of nuclear energy, thermal power plants provide most electricity in Qotsia.

Science and technology

Tourism

There are about 100,000 tourists each year visiting Qotsia, most tourists are from other Atsiq countries or other dalar countries. Humans seldom visit Qotsia.

Business travel is the most common type of tourism in Qotsia.

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Most citizens of Qotsia are Qotsian dalars, there are minorities of Thargun dalars, Qatillab dalars and Dachashk dalars, and a small population of humans of different ethnicities.

Urbanisation

More than 80% of the population live in cities and suburban areas.

Language

The main language of Qotsia is the Qotsian language, which is spoken by most of its population, and Modern Standard Osveraali is used as the literal language and the main source for learned words(i.e. vocabulary for culture, academy, etc. like Ancient Greek and Latin words in English).

Modern Qotsian does not have uvular stops, except in learned words from Greater Osveraali or Modern Standard Osveraali, in colloquial speech, especially among less educated speakers, /q/ tends to be replaced by [k] or [x].

Education

Primary and secondary education are free; however, higher education is not free. Education is compulsory for everyone until the age of 14-16, depending on states.

In Qotsia, primary school takes 5 years, middle school takes 3 years, and high school takes 4 years. primary schools and middle schools are compulsory and free, high schools are free, but not compulsory, in some states, the first and the second year of high school might be a part of compulsory education.

College education is not compulsory, and is not free either, although there are scholarship projects for college students paying tuition fees. College usually takes four years to complete.

Public schools predominate the education in Qotsia, private schools are rare and most private schools receive some government funds, and laws for establishing private schools is strict.

Medical schools, law schools, business schools and normal schools(schools for training teachers in primary and secondary schools) are post-secondary, a bachlor's degree is required for these schools.

Healthcare

In Qotsia, on average, there are 3 doctors for every 1,000 persons, and there are 8.5 hospital beds for every 1,000 persons. Most hospitals in Qotsia are public, completely funded by the government, although many doctors have their own clinics outside of the hospitals.

Medical schools in Qotsia are post-secondary, a bachlor's degree, usually a bachlor's degree in biology(a bachlor's degree in other scientific disciplines might be accepted, assuming that the applicant has taken some courses in biology in college), is required for anyone to enter a medical school to be trained as a doctor. Medical programs usually take 7 years, depending on area. Most medical schools in Qotsia confer upon graduates a doctorate degree, called as Doctor of Medicine.

Overweight is prevalent in Qotsia, with more than 80% of its population being overweight, and about 45% of the total population is obese. Obesity is more common among females than males in all age groups.

Religion

The Osveraal religion is the main religion of Qotsia, which is a polytheism featuring a set of 12 major deities and countless minor deities.

Other religions exist in Qotsia, but regardless of religion, monasticism is rarely practised in Qotsia, as Qotsian people have a negative view on monasticism.

Culture

Although having a republic government, and the law bans all forms of discriminations against any other dalars, traditional Qotsian society was highly stratified, and even nowadays Qotsia still exhibits a great power distance between elites and others; on the other hand, the wealth inequality is not that high, the Gini coefficient of Qotsia is about 32 on a scale of 0 to 100.

Heritage

Architecture

Traditional houses of Qotsia are made of wood, they usually have a thatched roof and an earthen floor, flooring has only become widespread in Qotsia in the 20th century, before the 20th century, flooring was seen as a sign of wealth. Even today, many remaining rural houses built before the 20th century still have a dirt floor.

Stilt houses are not common and are mostly used for storages, especially granaries.

Literature

Art

Visual arts of Qotsia traditionally features realism, even today most illustrations in publications are still depicted in a realistic style.